Drop-body vehicle.



A, P. BOWMAN. DROP BODY VEHICLE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT.22, 1906.

PATENTED AUG. 20, 1907.

Q'SHEETS-SHEB'I 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, n. c

No. 863,585. PATENTED AUG. 20, 1907. A. P. BOWMAN. 'DROP BODY VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Hil

o I IIH 0 II Huron/1. .15 ownmn/ In: NORRIS PETERS cm, wnsynlcrcu, n. c.

AARON P. BOWMAN, OF PONTIAC, MICHIGAN.

DROP-BODY VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1907.

Application filed September 22,1906. Serial No- 335,747.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AARON P. BOWMAN, a subject of the King of GreatBritain and Ireland, residing at Pontiac, in the county of Oakland andState of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inDrop-Body Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to vehicles of that type known as drop body, andwhich is characterized by the construction of frame in which the centralportion is dropped below the level of the axles.

The present invention relates more particularly to the construction ofcircle plate or fifth wheel, and the means by which the front axle isbraced, as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the vehicle frame; Fig.2 is a perspective view of the front axle and circle plate detached,looking from the under side; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the stationaryand movable members of the circle detached.

A is the frame which is provided with a central drop portion B connectedand suitably braced to the front and rear floor portions B and B 0 is aspring for supporting the rear portion B of the frame upon the rear axleD, and E are pivotal links, for bracing said axle, extending between thesame to the drop portion of the frame.

The fifth wheel, or circle plate, comprises the stationary member E,which is secured to the frame, and the rotary member F connected to thespring I carried by the front axle G. The member E is preferably securedto the bottom of the cross bars H and H con stituting a portion of theframe A. It preferably consists of the segment a, the central bearing 1)apertured for the king bolt, and the longitudinally extending brace c.The member F. is preferably formed of a frame having cross bars d and eand rearwardly extending side barsf and f.

g is a bearing secured to the under side of the bar d for codperatingwith the bearing b through which the king bolt passes, and h is asegment secured to the frame for engaging with the segment a.

I is a spring clipped to the frame and to the axle G.

It is an object of the construction to firmly brace the front axle whilepermitting perfect freedom of movement with the member F of the circle.For this purpose the rearward extensions f and f of the frame F areprovided with downwardly extending brackets K at their rear ends. Theseare preferably formed of metal bars 6 which extend from the ends of thesegment h along the upper side of the extensions f and f and are thenbent downward.

These rods M extend to the axle G, and are pivotally secilred to theeared brackets N clipped to said axle. The rods M are also preferablyangled opposite to each other so that their ends connected to the axleare spread at greater distance apart than the ends connected to thebrackets K.

O are brace rods for the brackets ably secured to the pivot pins forangled oppositely inward to their to the frame F, this being of thecross bar d.

P is a brace bar secured to the lower end of the king bolt Q, andextending upwardly to the frame A to which it is secured.

R is a hook formed on the member E, preferably by the bent end of thebar 0 which engages the segment h and holds the same to the segment a.

In the construction above described, the axle G is held fixed in theplane of the spring I, but is free to swing with said spring about theking bolt, and also permits said spring to flex. This bracing of theaxle is due to the two pivotal links M, which are separated from eachother, and also angled outward from their points of pivoting to thebrackets K to the axle. The dropping of the bracket K places the pivotalpoint for each rod M slightly above the horizontal plane of the axle,and Where the deflection due to the vertical movement of the spring isvery slight. Furthermore, the braces O, in connection with the bracketsK, form a rigid connection for transmitting the stresses from the rods Mto the frame F.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with the circle plate or fifth wheel. the axle, andan interposed spring, of a pair of separated brace bars pivotallyconnected at one end to said axle and connections between their oppositeends and said circle.

2. The combination with a circle plate or fifth Wheel, the axle, and aninterposed spring, of a pair of depending brackets upon said circle andseparated brace bars extendingbetween said brackets and said axle andpivotally connected thereto.

3. The combination of a circle plate comprising a frame having asegmental bearing thereon and rearwardly extending arms, of a dependingbracket secured to each of said arms, an axle spring; between said axleand circle plate, and separated brace links pivotally connected at theiropposite ends respectively to said brackets and the axle.

4. The combination of a circle plate comprising the frame I having thesegment 11 and reurwardly extending arms I and f, the brackets Kdepending from said arms f and f, the brace rods 0 between said bracketsand frame and the brace rods M pivotally connected to said frame andextending to the axle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

K, which are preferthe rods M, and are point of attachment preferably tothe under side AARON P. BOWMAN. Witnesses FLOYD B. Bnnoocx, J. L. LIBBY.

